History repeats in Gators' win

Stacy Bishop again scores twice to lift Land O'Lakes into the final.

LAND O'LAKES -- For the second straight season, Stacy Bishop scored twice in regulation of a region semifinal victory against Orlando Bishop Moore.

Tuesday, however, those were the only goals for Land O'Lakes in a 2-1 home victory. Bishop scored two goals in regulation and one on a penalty kick in last season's 5-4 (4-2) victory against the Hornets.

Land O'Lakes (23-3) hosts Daytona Beach Seabreeze, a 4-0 winner against Citrus, in Friday's Class 2A, Region 2 final. It will mark the Gators' third consecutive region final, which they have not won. Bishop netted the winner in the 55th minute, taking a cross from Grace Weatherford and drilling a 30-foot shot just inside the left post for her 51st goal.

That leaves the senior center-midfielder one goal shy of the school record she set last season.

Bishop gave Land O'Lakes a 1-0 lead in the third minute. The county's all-time leading goal scorer (186 goals) took a drop pass from Kywanna Felder and drilled a 23-yarder through the hands of goalkeeper Caitlin Henke.

"That's the earliest we have scored in any game this year," Land O'Lakes coach Vicky King said. "We've talked about it. We just weren't able to do it."

The lead lasted fewer than three minutes. Bishop Moore tied it when Monica Houseworth's shot to the right corner beat keeper Shannon Aitken, who got her left hand on the ball. It was Houseworth's 10th goal.

Seabreeze blanks Citrus

INVERNESS -- Citrus keeper Laura Woythaler had no time to rest.

Shots came fast. And they came often.

Finally, it was too much, and not even her remarkable play could keep the Hurricanes alive as Daytona Beach Seabreeze, behind an offensive attack that produced 31 shots, won 4-0. Forward Lindsay Brauer scored every goal.

"It was mentally exhausting," Woythaler said.

Seabreeze (17-8) went on the attack early and did not relent. Behind a collapsing defense that held Citrus (16-6-3) to three shots, the Sandcrabs controlled the tempo throughout. And their offense was equally tough.

Only Woythaler kept it close.

On one play, she made a leaping save of a header. Three minutes later, she stopped a shot from point-blank range.

"She's a rock," Citrus coach Ethan Eldridge said.

Seabreeze finally struck in the 25th minute on a Brauer penalty kick. Her shot sneaked into the net past a diving Woythaler.

"Once we scored one, we kept it going after that," Brauer said.

Brauer added another goal eight minutes later, when she outfought Woythaler for a ball and slammed it in. Woythaler's shin was bruised on the play. She left the game and did not return until midway through the second half.

Brauer, meanwhile, added goals in the 52nd and 54th minutes then left with about 23 minutes remaining. "That's the best team we've played all year," Citrus defender Whitney Gelin said.

Mitchell's run ends

The Fighting Commodores, ranked 10th in Class 3A, jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first 36 minutes and that proved to be enough of a cushion.

"We didn't play as well as we should have," Mitchell coach Karl Kukec said. "It's very tough. I feel this team is beatable, but they were very, very good. I don't want to take anything away from them."

It wasn't until the last minute of the first half that Mitchell scored on Kalyn Kinnard's first goal of the season. Kinnard capitalized on a scramble inside the Commodores' box, cleaning up a rebound off a free kick by Alyssa Petrella.

Goalkeeper Lauren Hudson made a great leaping save for the Mustangs (20-4-2), parrying a shot out-of-bounds in the 62nd minute. But Eau Gallie's Erin Walker scored 20 seconds later on a loose ball in the box to make it 3-1.

Mitchell's Lauren Schenk scored her school-record 35th goal with an assist from Kate Slaughter with 11 minutes left to cut the lead back to 3-2.

But Petrella and Schenk couldn't convert on scoring opportunities in the last nine minutes, as the Commodores (22-3-2) advanced to their first region final.